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fly-by-night

   Also found in: Legal, Idioms, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
fly-by-night (flb-nt) Informal
adj.
1. Unreliable or unscrupulous, especially with regard to business dealings: "fly-by-night telephone companies that open up shop, sell some systems, then disappear when service is needed" (Mary Ellen Jordan).
2. Of an impermanent or insubstantial nature: fly-by-night fashions in clothing.
n. also fly-by-night·er (-ntr)
1. An unscrupulous or undependable person, especially one who leaves secretly without paying creditors.
2. Something of a shaky or impermanent nature.

fly-by-night Informal
adj
1. unreliable or untrustworthy, esp in finance
2. brief; impermanent
n also fly-by-nighter
1. an untrustworthy person, esp one who departs secretly or by night to avoid paying debts
2. a person who goes out at night to places of entertainment
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.fly-by-night - a debtor who flees to avoid paying
debitor, debtor - a person who owes a creditor; someone who has the obligation of paying a debt
Adj.1.fly-by-night - (of businesses and businessmen) unscrupulous; "a shady operation"
untrustworthy, untrusty - not worthy of trust or belief; "an untrustworthy person"
2.fly-by-night - ephemeral; "the symphony is no fly-by-night venture"
impermanent, temporary - not permanent; not lasting; "politics is an impermanent factor of life"- James Thurber; "impermanent palm cottages"; "a temperary arrangement"; "temporary housing"

fly-by-night
adjective (Informal) unreliable, cowboy (informal), dubious, questionable, shady, untrustworthy, undependable fly-by-night operators who do shoddy work
Translations
fly-by-night [ˈflaɪbaɪnaɪt]
A. ADJinformal, poco fiable
B. Ncasquivano/a m/f


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Millot was stumbling, laughing, swearing meaninglessly out of pure satisfaction, pleased with himself for having run down that fly-by-night.
 
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